We’re design nerds, and there’s nothing we love more than a website that’s just plain beautiful to look at. Sleek and elegant, with appealing color schemes and a balanced layout, it’s a treat for the eyes. But when it comes to website design, good design is about more than just looking pretty. It’s about creating a good user experience.
While there’s a lot of value in an attractive design aesthetic, some websites manage to create a great experience while being, well, kind of ugly. Craigslist is a great example. Aesthetically, it looks like a late 90s time warp. But when it comes to function, Craigslist has a design that works. It’s easy to find what you’re looking for, and the simple, text-heavy design actually works well by minimizing distracting visual elements. Reddit is a similar example. It’s not very pleasing to the eye, but millions of users worldwide are practically addicted to its endless stream of articles, images, and other information and entertainment.
What Makes A Website’s Design Great?
Good website design can be quite nice to look at, but what really matters is usability. Your audience needs to be able to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, with minimal thought. Using your site needs to be intuitive, not confusing. Even the most beautiful website in the world is practically useless if no one can figure out how to find what they came for.
- Don’t make people think too much. This might sound bad, but no one has time to puzzle their way through a website with a confusing user interface and unclear navigation. Everything about your site should be immediately obvious and fully self-explanatory.
- Don’t try people’s patience. No one wants to fill out a 35-item form for an account they’ll probably never even use again. Let people explore your site as much as possible, without requiring them to spend time and energy making an account or filling things out. If you do have a registration option, it should ideally be something that a user can complete in less than a minute.
- Focus people’s attention on the right things. Some elements of your user interface will attract attention naturally. People notice edges, patterns, shapes, and motion. Things like bold text and bullet points stand out. A streamlined, carefully crafted user experience guides your site’s visitors seamlessly from point A to point B.
- Make your text as scannable as possible. Quite a bit of interesting research has been conducted on how people read and process information on a digital screen. One key finding has been that people scan and skim, with eye movements going over your site in a sort of an F-shape. For this reason, it’s good to structure your content in a way that’s decidedly “skimmable.” Subheadings, clearly defined subsections, and bullet points make it easy and enjoyable to read your content.
We Strive for Great Design
As a website design company, our mission is to make sure your website is intuitive, easy to use, and visually balanced and appealing. Along with great aesthetics that fit your brand perfectly, we create sites with a streamlined user experience that keeps people moving in the right direction. To find out more about our services, reach out to us any time at [contact number], or fill out our contact form to get in touch with a helpful representative.
